Joining Two Families

Sleepy Hollow Country Club Scarborough

By Samantha Garbarini

Kait Daly & Ben Fund

August 29, 2015

Kait and Ben were getting ready to celebrate the birthday of their golden retriever, Hobie-Wan Kenobi, when Kait had a feeling that Ben might propose. But, when Hobie’s birthday came and went without Ben popping the question, she wrote it off as a wrong instinct. The next night, Ben gave Kait a Shutterfly album to remember Hobie’s first year of life. “It was full of pictures of him as a puppy,” says Kait. “Toward the end, it gets to be a little bit less about Hobie and more about me.” Ben then proposed, and afterward, the couple met their friends and family for a party at a nearby restaurant.

In planning their wedding, Kait and Ben knew they didn’t want a cookie-cutter venue and looked at places in New York City and the Hamptons before finding Sleepy Hollow Country Club. “I really didn’t want to get married in a hotel ballroom with ugly carpet,” says Kait. “Everything about Sleepy Hollow was original and vintage. It really evoked this classic feel.”

Ben waits for Kait at the bottom of the main house‘s grandiose staircase. The building was once the estate of Margaret Vanderbilt Shepard.

The main house includes 18 meticulously maintained guest rooms where the couple’s loved ones could spend the weekend. “I’d say our number-one thing was to have our entire family there and to be able to throw an awesome party,” adds Kait. With the venue set, Kait and Ben turned their attention toward the “awesome party.” First step: planning the reception around maximizing space for dancing, and hiring Hank Lane to do the music.

The elegant tent at Sleepy Hollow Country Club was a major draw for the couple. “All the doors open, so you’re effectively outside, ” remembers Ben. The lighting at sunset made for perfect photos.

With a wedding all about family, it made sense that someone in the family would perform the ceremony. “I’m Jewish, and Kait grew up Christian,” says Ben. “We had a lot of trouble finding someone who really knew us and understood our lives together.” Ultimately, they turned to Candy, Ben’s mom’s partner, knowing she would make it personal. Another personal touch: “We’re big fantasy movie fans,” says Kait. “Our bridal party walked down the aisle to the Shire theme from The Hobbit. And I walked down the aisle to the theme from Jurassic Park. It sounds crazy but it’s a beautiful song.”

In the end, it was all about sharing their wedding day with the most important people in their lives. “We were able to spend three full days with all of our closest family and friends,” says Ben. “It was more than just the joining of me and Kait. It was really the creation of a new, giant family.”

The couple's dog, Hobie-Wan Kenobi, poses for the camera. ”He totally knows when he's supposed to be in the picture, and he hams it up big-time,“ says Ben. A picture of Hobie was featured on custom fans, to help guests beat the August heat.